11 posts categorized "Antonio Bastardo"

Ryne Sandberg was forthcoming when asked about Jimmy Rollins’
approach, at-bats and importance to the Phillies lineup, and he has a clear vision
of what he wants out of Rollins, especially if he remains the Phillies leadoff
hitter.

“… I think for me [it’s about] keeping a line drive stroke
and improving the on-base percentage,” Sandberg said. “That’s what the team
needs.”

Rollins enters Monday’s game against the Rockies with a
.305 on-base percentage. Prior to this year, his career OBP was .328.

It was interesting to later hear Rollins’ take on the
conversations he has had with his new manager.

“What I got from it was, ‘Get back to being a leader again,’”
Rollins said. “We have a lot of young guys. We need direction. That pretty much
will be my role. That's what it's always been.”

Rollins’ home run numbers are way down this year. With 463 at-bats, Rollins has hit only five
home runs, making it the fewest he’s hit since going deep eight times in 2010
when he had only 350 at-bats because of injuries. Those are the only times he’s
hit fewer than 11 since 2004.

Sandberg could care less about those home run numbers,
though.

“I would like him not to focus on hitting home runs,”
Sandberg said. “Anytime that I hit a home run, it was an accident. It was a
perfect swing that I caught out in front, square up and was just underneath
just a little bit. What I think for Jimmy at the top of the lineup with his
speed and his baserunning and as good as
he is as a baserunner, he’s got to get on base. I don’t think him focusing on
hitting 15 to 20 home runs in the right approach for him. If he wants to score
100 runs per year, I think that’s the proper approach — not hitting solo home
runs.”

Rollins insisted that he’s not trying to hit home runs and
never has. But he is working on making changes and will continue to.

“Usually when I'm going good, I'm hitting doubles
and the home runs come off of the doubles,” he said.

The biggest issue Sandberg will have is getting Rollins to
break some bad habits. At 34, Sandberg knows that won’t be easy for the student
or the teacher.

“It’s a
challenge to try something new,” Sandberg said. “It can be addressed now and
attempted to be applied, possibly. It could take some time in the offseason
with new drills and a new mindset. I could see that being effective. But
players get stuck in their ways with what is comfortable to them. So [the
adjustments] could be uncomfortable for some players to say, ‘I’m going to try
this.’

“Yes, I
think it takes a special player [to be able to change]. But I also think it
takes maybe a change or a [new] relationship, or communication on what is
expected of him.”

DINGERS: Tyler Cloyd will start Tuesday’s game. The team
will announce a roster move following tonight’s game. … Sandberg has Carlos
Ruiz batting second tonight. He said his catcher has gains confidence, looks
more comfortable at the plate and feels he is a situational hitter who will fit
right in at the two-hole. ... John Lannan will be examined by Dr. Ciccotti tonight. We should have an update about his knee either tonight or tomorrow for you.

As Ruf was walking through the food room grabbing a drink
this afternoon, he heard Juan Samuel call his name.

“He told me I was playing right field and I laughed,” Ruf
admitted. “I thought he was joking.”

It was no joke.

For the first time in his big league career and just the
second time in his life, Ruf is starting and playing right field for the Phillies
tonight.

Although Ruf went out to shag fly balls in the outfield
after Samuel broke the news to him, his only other experience playing out there
was one game during winter ball. He never took fly balls out there during
spring training or took part in drills out there.

“Hopefully it will be
a smooth transition,” he said.

The obvious question becomes why not play Dom Brown out
there? Brown has played 107 games in the
big leagues in right field and clearly has the stronger arm.

“Dom Brown’s improved a lot in the outfield,” manager
Charlie Manuel said. “And he’s been playing left field and his improvement has
actually come in left field. I think that his season speaks for itself. Right
now, we want to definitely find out what our options are for right.”

No one would directly say that Delmon Young’s playing time
would be decreased for the rest of 2013. But Manuel and general manager Ruben Amaro
Jr. each emphasized the importance of seeing the team’s younger players, namely
Cody Asche and Ruf.

You may not even see
Delmon Young (or others) on the roster when the season ends.

“I think probably as we go along, there will probably be
some more changes on our team as we go down through August and September
because the teams that definitely are in contention and trying to win, they
might come in and maybe take some of our players,” Manuel said. “There might be
a few things going on, but I don’t know.”

Amaro confirmed the idea of there being more personnel
changes.

“It’s possible,” he said.

REACTION TO BASTARDO

Antonio Bastardo, who tonight will begin serving his 50-game
suspension for being part of the Biogenesis list, has certainly made things even tougher on a
bullpen that has more issues than anyone cares to think about.

“We
are disappointed, obviously,” Amaro said. “It’s not the first guy and maybe not
the last guy – hopefully it’s one of the last guys. We can’t do anything about
it other than hope that these guys maybe learn their lesson. I think what’s
happening is we’re seeing the program working, and hopefully it will continue
to deter players from doing what they’re not supposed to be doing.”

In his last 14 games (15 IP), the left-handed reliever owned
a 1.20 ERA. He allowed six hits, seven walks and struck out 20. Opponents were
hitting only .122 against him. He had four holds, one save and one win since
July 2.

“The
fact that he’s not going to be able to perform for us, that hurts us,” Amaro
said. But things happen. It’s like when a guy goes on the D.L. It was a choice
he made, and you can’t make choices for them as far as this is concerned.
Obviously he didn’t make the right choices.”

Amaro
said Bastardo got in touch with him Sunday and warned him something might be
happening.

Manuel
said he was “totally surprised,” about Bastardo’s suspension.

HALLADAY

The Phillies continue to insist there is no timeline for a possible
return this season for Roy Halladay.

It doesn’t sound like it’s that far off, though.

Halladay, who had shoulder surgery in late May, threw
yesterday in a five up-and-down session. Amaro thinks the plan will be for him to
do that one more time and/or possibly create a simulated game for him.

“It went pretty well for him,”
Amaro said. “[We’d like to have him] face batters [in a simulated game] and
ramp up the adrenaline he would have and see where it goes.”

Halladya also took batting practice with the pitchers Tuesday.

SCHIERHOLTZ MAKES HIS RETURN

Nate Schierholtz, who the Phillies non-tendered over the
winter, is making his first appearance at Citizens Bank Park since the club let
him walk.

He’s hitting .268 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs for the
Cubs. If he had put up those numbers with the Phillies this year, he’d had
entered tonight’s game tied for second in RBIs and would be third in home runs.
His batting average would be fourth behind Ruf (.299), Michael Young (.273) and
Chase Utley (.269).

Schierholtz was acquired from San Francisco for Hunter
Pence at the trade deadline last year. He said he thought the time he missed
because of a broken foot (he was out from Aug. 13 to Aug. 30) hurt his chances
of getting to stay in Philadelphia.

Schierholtz hit .219 in his first 11 games in Philly before
getting hurt. When he returned for the last 26 of the season, he hit .324. But
of those 26 games he appeared in, just six were starts.

“It totally took away any
chance that I had to make an impact here,” he said. “[When I returned] I was playing
sporadically; I didn’t have much time to make any impression.”

HOWARD UPDATE

Amaro said Ryan Howard is in Clearwater rehabbing his left
knee, which he had arthroscopic surgery on to repair torn meniscus. He has been throwing, but has not been
cleared to hit yet. He’s been on the DL since July 6 and had surgery July 10. The
original time line for his return was 6-8 weeks. The six-week mark is Aug. 21.

“Right now we’re just trying to get him as close to 100
percent as possible,” Amaro said. “We’re not going to bring him here and have
him play in Philadelphia unless we think he’s absolutely 100 percent and ready
to go.”

With the Phillies having activated Dom Brown from the 7-day (concussion) disabled list, Manuel has Darin Ruf starting in right field for tonight's game against the Chicago Cubs.

To make room for Brown on the 25-man roster, the organization designated Laynce Nix for assignment.

As far as I know, Ruf has never played in the right field (I know he hasn't in a game). And by that I mean, I don't know that he's ever even taken fly balls out there during spring training drills. Around 3 p.m. today, he was on the field taking balls out there.

With this move, this organization certainly seems like it's saying, "Let's see if we can do better than Delmon Young in right field."

And the Phillies should be able to do better than Delmon Young in right field.

When the clubhouse opens shortly, we should hear more from Ruf on the position change. Until the middle of last season when he was with Double-A Reading, Ruf had been a first baseman. But then the club decided it wanted him to learn to play left field as well. Since his call-up, he's played in left field and at first base.

To take Antonio Bastardo's place on the roster (he accepted his 50-game suspension), the Phillies called up LHP Cesar Jimenez from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Predicting how and when things are going to happen regarding
the trade deadline is about as difficult as predicting a few days in advance
when a thunderstorm is going to hit.

It hasn’t been easy lately.

One thing seems almost certain: GM Ruben Amaro Jr. envisions
any moves, whether his team buys or sells, will come much closer to the July 31
trade deadline. We’re still three away from that.

“Unless we reel off 10 out of 11 or we lose 10 out of 11,”
Amaro said. “Then we’ll have a clearer picture.”

With the Phillies having won six of their last eight and
sitting just one game below .500, Amaro seems to be leaning away from selling right
now.

“We are playing better baseball and putting ourselves in a
position to be buyers,” Amaro said.

A bullpen piece will be the first thing he’s looking for, he
added.

That should make Charlie Manuel happy.

“I think for us to have a real good bullpen, we definitely
have to have an eighth-inning guy, a solid, right-handed pitching,
eighth-inning guy to go with [Antonio] Bastardo,” Manuel said. “Bastardo’s good when we
can match him against lefties.”

HOWARD HAD SURGERY WEDNESDAY

Ryan Howard had his knee scoped Wednesday by team physician
Dr. Michael Ciccotti at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia. Dr. Ciccotti
performed a debridement of Howard’s left medial meniscus, which means he
removed/snipped away the cartilage that was torn. There was no repair done,
which would have mean he’d have a longer recovery. He’s expected to return in
six to eight weeks.

“The arthritic things that we had seen in the MRI were even
better when they looked in the scope, so that’s a good sign,” Amaro said. “As
news goes, this is as good as we can get.”

DAULTON HAS BRAIN CANCER

Darren Daulton, who had surgery a couple week ago, has been diagnosed with a Glioblastoma,
a form of brain cancer, 97.5 The Fanatic said in a press release on its Web
site.

It’s the same type of cancer that took former Phillies
closer Tug McGraw in January 2004.

"It saddens me, but I’ll still remain optimistic," Amaro said. "I’m hoping and praying things go well for him. He’s got a
tough road ahead of him, but I hope it goes well."

The revered Phillies catcher is now in his Clearwater area
home to continue recuperating amongst his immediate family and friends. He will
eventually have treatments in Florida.

“Darren and his family wish to thank everyone for their
loving support throughout this difficult time,” the release said. “He is deeply
touched. In typical fashion, he again said, ‘Right on; Fight on.’”

It seems like a never-ending quest for the Phillies in the last two years.

A season after their eighth-inning debacles were all the talk, Ruben Amaro Jr. thought he had solidified how the set-up role would go.

It hasn't worked out.

With news emerging Tuesday night that Mike Adams has three tears in his shoulder (both labrum and rotator cuff), he admitted to reporters in San Diego that it is unlikely he pitches again this year. He told traveling writers he's still deciding between doing rehab to strengthen the muscles around the damaged areas or surgery.

The problem is that he could spend all that time doing rehab and might still need surgery. And having surgery very soon doesn't guarantee he'll be ready for the start of the 2014 season.

"Not good," Adams told writers in San Diego on Tuesday.

Neither is what's transpired with the Phillies' bullpen --- again.Their team bullpen ERA sits at 4.67, second worst in Major League Baseball (only Houston's is higher at 4.76; the ML average is 3.65).

Their eighth-inning ERA is a whopping 5.38. And some of the options they have to turn to haven't fared well so far.

Antonio Bastardo, the guy most likely to take over that role, has a .357 BAA (10-for-28). And earlier in the season when Phillippe Aumont had chances while Adams was on the DL, opponents were hitting .478 (11-for-23) off him in the eighth inning.

Things might get worse before they better. But that's really nothing new when it comes to the bullpen recently, especially when it comes to the eighth inning.

The club's eighth-inning ERA (4.67) in 2012 was the third worst
in the National League. Only Houston (5.00) and Milwaukee (4.78) had higher
ERAs in the eighth innings of games.

In the last four years, it wasn't something the Phillies had to worry about. From 2008-11, Phillies pitchers posted an ERA of 3.94 or lower in
the eighth inning of games. You have to go back to 2007 to find an
eighth-inning ERA higher than what they put up last season or this season (4.86).

Take this into consideration: the Phillies have allowed at least one run in the final three innings in 15 of their last 20 games. And in one of the games they didn't, pitchers had already allowed 10 runs before that point.

In addition, it's being reported that Mike Stutes (biceps tendinitis) will not throw anytime before July 5. Jeremy Horst (elbow inflammation) will begin a throwing program today and could be activated in about two weeks.

It certainly doesn't sound like you should be expecting help in the near futures.

"Right now we don't have any solutions," Amaro told writers in San Diego. "If we could find a
solution to fill the hole or fill a need we'll try. It doesn't mean we're not
going to try. I'll be on the lookout for it. But based on the conversations I've
had with teams already about these particular players who might be in play, I'm
not optimistic about that. A lot of people are looking for bullpen help and,
naturally, demand is very high."

Infielder Pete Orr, catcher Steve Lerud and right-hander Zach Miner were re-assigned to the minor leagues. Right-handed reliever Michael Stutes was optioned to the minor leagues. Outfielder Delmon Young was placed on the major league disabled list, retroactive to March 22 (right ankle surgery).

I felt like the biggest decision that had to be made was the final bullpen spot. During the final week of spring training, it appeared Valdes had locked a spot up for himself by having solid outings his last four times out. He quietly goes about his job and kind of slides under the radar, but he has success against lefties and righties, a definite bonus for a left-handed pitcher.

The move to keep Inciarte, a Rule 5 guy who has never played about Class-A ball, shows how much they'd like to have more speed on the bench and a true back-up center fielder.

This, of course, could be an indication that Hamels will be the team's Opening Day starter in Atlanta on April 1. Pitching coach Rich Dubee said after Tuesday's workout that they were leaning toward breaking up the lefties, and if Roy Halladay were to start, that wouldn't be possible because it would leave Hamels and Lee to go back-to-back.

Hamels, who signed a six-year, $144 million contract last summer, has never started on Opening Day. Halladay has started 10 in row (with the Phillies and Blue Jays). Lee got the nod in 2009 when he started the season with Cleveland.

Pitching coach Rich Dubee has hopes that the experienced veterans the club added will wear on in a positive way on the younger guys.

So, while we’re on the subject, let’s make an early prediction on how the bullpen could take form.

Four relievers are a given:

- Papelbon, Antonio Bastardo, Chad Durbin and Mike Adams.

That leaves three spots, assuming they go with seven relievers. A lot can change between now and the day the final 25-man roster has to be in on March 31, but my guesses right now are:

Jeremy Horst, Phillippe Aumont and Justin De Fratus.

Dubee praised Horst’s stuff, work ethic and composure on Sunday.

“He’s real deceptive,” Dubee said. “He’s resilient. He can pitch back-to-back. You can pitch him multiple innings. He was a big-time strike thrower for us last year. All that added up to a heck of a season for him.”

Aumont brings a power arm, but did have issues with his command last year (nine walks in 14 2/3 IP) and he struggled on the road, where his ERA was 10.80 and his WHIP was 2.60. At home, he had no ERA and a WHIP of 0.62.

De Fratus missed most of last year with an injury but held his own when he returned. In 10 2/3 IP, he posted at 3.38 ERA and a WHIP of 1.125. Only Papelbon, Raul Valdes and Horst had lower WHIPs out of the bullpen last year.

Last week, the Phillies general manager said he was considering adding another bullpen piece, and according to multiple reports, the Phillies have agreed to one-year deal (pending a physical) with a club option for 2014 with Chad Durbin.

Jerry Crasnick from ESPN.com is reporting that the deal is worth $1.1 million with $350,000 in incentives.

As I'm sure most of you remember, Durbin was a key figure during the Phillies' recent glory years. From 2008-2010 when the Phillies won a World Series, two pennant and three NL East crowns, the right-hander was 11-7 with a 3.62 ERA. In 226.0 IP (194 games), he struck out 188 and walked 109.

After a rough season with Cleveland in 2011, Durbin bounced back and pitched very well for Atlanta in 2012 when he was 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA. He made a career-high 76 appearances, striking out 49 and giving up 28 walks. He allowed just 52 hits.

His career against NL East foes is even better. In 144.0 IP, he's given up only 44 earned runs for a 2.75 ERA.

Durbin not only brings loads of experience to the mound, but leadership this team, particularly in the bullpen, needs. He's level-headed and has a nothing-rattles-him mindset.

Durbin, who turned 35 last month, joins a bullpen of Jonathan Papelbon, Mike Adams and Antonio Bastardo. If the Phillies carry 12 pitchers, as most would expect, that leaves three spots. The names likely competing for those openings are Justin De Fratus, Mike Stutes, Jeremy Horst, Phillippe Aumont and Jake Diekman. If the team opts to carry 11 pitches, which Amaro on Thursday said is a possibility, then only two spots would be available.

And just a few minutes ago, the club announced that the Phillies signed Yuniesky Betancourt to a minor league contract, which includes an invitation to major league spring training.

During the media portion of the Phillies Winter Banquet in Reading last week, Amaro had said that it appeared that minor league infielder Andres Blanco had gotten hurt, and because of that, he was looking to sign another infielder to provide some added depth and insurance.

And there's no doubt Betancourt is a versatile backup infielder. In 2012, he appeared in 46 games at second base, eight at third base and one at shortstop.

Betancourt, 30, hit .228 with 14 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 36 RBI in 57 games with the Kansas City Royals last season. Defensively, he appeared in 46 games at second base, eight at third base and one at shortstop. Following the regular season, Betancourt played for Aguilas de Mexicali in the Mexican Winter League, where he batted .308 with eight doubles, seven home runs and 22 RBI in 26 games.

At the Phillies Winter Banquet in Reading yesterday after GM Ruben Amaro Jr.had addressed the breaking news about the acquisition of free agent outfielder Delmon Young, he touched upon several other pressing issues.

1. He likes the bullpen. "If Mike Adams is back to pitching anywhere close to what he has for the last several years, that should put Antonio Bastardo back into a position where there is a little pressure off --- in the seventh inning."

2. His opinion on lefties in the bullpen. "I'd like to have three lefties if they are the best ones. If Bastardo and [Jake] Diekman are there and others get the opportunity, that's fine with me."

3. Is he done making moves? "We may be adding a little more catching depth. We will probably try to sign one more catcher. And maybe we'll make some tweaks in the bullpen."

4. Infield help? "[Minor leaguer] Andres Blanco may be injured. If that's the case, we may add another infielder."

5. Chase Utley'sstatus. Amaro said Utley is being closely monitored and will continue to be during spring training. The GM doesn't envision Utley playing every day in the spring.

6. Cole Hamels'shoulder. Amaro said there are no issues and he's doing well.